Death threats. Racist taunts. Vows of violence. Inside the increasingly personal attacks targeting Canadian female journalists, who are under attack by the same misogynist trolls who threatened a white nationalist writer in the U.S. in 2018.
We’re calling on The Canadian Press to investigate if the journalists involved are being targeted by violent groups.
Journalists who are targets of violent groups may find themselves being physically threatened or attacked at the hands of people who are either acting on behalf of violent groups, or are involved in an incident that was perceived to be violent in nature by the offender.
Whether they’re reporting on a story or talking about the issues facing white nationalist terrorism at a conference, women of colour can expect to find themselves the subject of online harassment, threats and physical violence.
On the same day that white nationalist activist and former journalist Richard Spencer was called a “disgrace to the nation” by Donald Trump after he came to the U.S. to give a racist diatribe, the online harassment of CBC journalist Rebecca Blaskey was coming to a head.
Blaskey’s Twitter and Facebook posts have been flooded with violent threats over the last few days. During the weekend she received death threats, death and rape images, and hateful comments urging her to take her own life.
Her personal information has also been leaked online.
Blaskey is the co-host and producer of “Breakfast with the Maude,” the public radio program in Ottawa.
She said these threats have been a source of harassment, constant nastiness and discrimination.
“I had more harassing comments every day, more death threats and more death and rape images,” she said.
To make matters worse, the online harassment is increasingly focused specifically on women of colour.
According to a report from CTV News, several women of colour have been targeted by violent groups since the beginning of August
